Resources Archive - Page 3 of 35

Greenhouse Gas Emissions Estimation in Canadian Healthcare

This playbook provides an overview of how GHG emissoins are measured in helathcare and information on the current state of GHG emsissions estimation in healthcare organizations across Canada.

Playbook

Strategic Planning for Planetary Health and Sustainable Care

This playbook identifies practices for incorporating climate change considerations and planetary health into organizational strategic plans to support the transition to sustainable, equitable health systems.

Playbook

Organizational Readiness for Sustainability

This playbook provides background information and implementation resources designed to address environmental sustainability in organizational readiness.

Playbook

Sustainability Embedded Quality Improvement (SE-QI)

CASCADES

This playbook introduces the SE-QI framework and provides background information, resources, and considerations for embedding sustainability in healthcare improvement projects. It was developed in collaboration with key partners and experts in QI across Canada. It serves as a resource for clinicians, health care professionals, students, trainees, and decision-makers involved in QI work, aiming to inform them of: Sustainability-Embedded Quality Improvement (SE-QI) positions quality improvement (QI) as a practical pathway for embedding sustainability within clinical and operational practice. This playbook introduces the SE-QI framework and provides background information, resources, and considerations for embedding sustainability in healthcare improvement projects. It was developed in collaboration with key partners and experts in QI across Canada. It serves as a resource for clinicians, health care professionals, students, trainees, and decision-makers involved in QI work, aiming to inform them of: Why SE-QI is an essential and practical approach to quality improvement in healthcare, What tools are available to support planning and implementation, and how to effectively implement SE-QI into practice to advance high-quality, low-carbon, resilient healthcare.

Playbook

Sustainability-Embedded Quality Improvement Toolkit

Tool

Sustainability-Embedded Quality Improvement Toolkit

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This SE-QI toolkit will help individuals and teams incorporate environmental sustainability into quality improvement (QI) initiatives, and envision how you can adjust, measure and report those impacts.

Tool

Sustainability-Embedded Quality Improvement (SE-QI) Toolkit : Train-the-Trainer

CASCADES

A slide deck introducing the SE-QI framework and toolkit.

Slide deck

Formalin Recycling Circuit Protocol

Maggie Chen, Western University & London Health Sciences Centre

Formalin represents a significant source of chemical waste in pathology laboratories, with both its production and disposal carrying substantial environmental and financial costs. This resource outlines the formalin recycling methodology piloted within the Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Department at London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). The initiative involved collecting and reusing clear formalin from surgical pathology biopsy specimens for subsequent use in the autopsy suite. Based on the results of this one-month pilot, projections indicate that expanding the protocol across all workstations for a full year could enable LHSC to save more than $3,000 annually in procurement costs while preventing 2,170 kg CO₂e emissions. By documenting and sharing this approach, we aim to support the operationalisation of sustainable waste management practices across other pathology departments and hospitals. For additional information or to request the final report and detailed results, please contact maggiee.chen@mail.utoronto.ca.

Protocol

Waste Audit and Reclassification Protocol

Western University & London Health Sciences Centre

Hospitals frequently overclassify biomedical waste, resulting in unnecessary environmental impacts and increased disposal costs. This resource outlines the waste audit and reclassification methodology developed and implemented by staff in autopsy suite of London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC). Following this protocol, the initiative achieved a 56% reduction in annual waste disposal emissions and a 62% reduction in disposal costs, preventing 1427 kgco2e from being released into the atmosphere annually. By documenting and sharing this approach, we aim to support the operationalisation of sustainable waste management practices across other pathology departments and hospitals. For additional information or to request the final report and detailed results, please contact maggiee.chen@mail.utoronto.ca.

Example Protocol

Climate and Health Internship

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